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Tobin's Providence Logbook Feb 20-21, 1792

[H M Ship Providence, moored in Adventure Bay] Van Diemens Land 1792

Monday February 20th

Top: Appearance of the Coast of Van Diemans Land when the Mewstone bore NNE 5 or 6 Miles distant
Middle Left: Mewstone NW 6 or 7 Miles distant; Middle Right: NE 7 or 8 Leagues [?]
Bottom Left: Tasmans Head [?] 6 or 7 Leagues; Bottom Right: View in Adventure Bay Van Diemans Land

There are few places ahead for wooding and watering more commodious and in every respect better [?] for Shipping than Adventure Bay. The anchoring ground is good & the bay is only open to winds from the NE Quarter where violence must be greatly broken by the Maria Islands, which extend across the mouth of it at five or six Leagues distance – From Penguin Island (which forms the eastern point of the Bay) along that side, the surf is never so violent but that boats can land & get Laden with ease & security; but on the opposite side it is generally high and dangerous, but as good water, wood, & [?] only grass is to be procured in plenty at the fish place, there can be no necessity for risking the boats at all – I think the second [run?] from Penguin Island is by far the best situation in the whole bay for a ship to get every thing she stands in need of. It is impossible to fail meeting with it if you walk along the beach as most (I believe all) of the little streams empty themselves on the Bay – In few [hours?] a good [?] path might be made at the above place – From the head of the Bay to the low neck of land at the bottom of it, which separates Adventure from one to the Northward of it is about four miles distance, but tho [this?] takes a winding direction, and is in some places sandy, and others craggy and impassable – Excepting a flat of near a mile on the south part of the Bay, beside which there is a lagoon of brackish water, the country is hilly and covered with Trees, some of them of a great height and [magnitude?], I measured one that was twenty nine feet in girth & was inclined to think [I] saw some that were larger – Those Large Trees [?] of one sort & in general the Trunks go to a great height before they branch out. The leaf is long and not unlike a peaches, & the bark is light coloured which gives them the appearance of having been peeled – The next Tree in size is one of the Fir species. The wood of which is red, and would not perhaps make [?] [?] furniture. These Trees spread and branch a good deal – besides these, there are several of a smaller sort and great quantity of different [?] wood & a Few [fern?] trees were seen by some of our people. The Soil is in general light and sandy, but on the sides of some of the hills we met with a fine [mould?], & on Penguin Island it is by no means [indifferent?] – On the Eastern side of the Bay there is one of several apple trees remaining that Captain Bligh left there in 1788. It is in good order but has not increased so much in size as might have been expected. The others most probably have consumed by fire as there are no traces remaining of them — In most of the valleys round the Bay small streams empty themselves in the Sea as the water came some distance from the Hills it was impossible for us to ascertain what manner it took its [way?] But some of our Gentlemen followed up the largest of these Streams, which Captain Bligh called Resolution River, for two or three miles; one of the branches they traced to its source, and found a small Spring, but the Main river continued the same breadth as far as they explored, was in some places twelve feet broad, & four or five feet deep – At the Mouth of this Stream we first watered, but the surf [?] to the opposite side of the Bay – It abounds with small Trout, many of which we took with hook & Line – At this place we found a wigwam (or hut) which from the appearance could not have been constructed long. It was eight feet wide & about four feet from the entrance to the back part, and four feet high. The Entrance extended almost its whole breadth. As well as many others we saw it was formed of small branches the larger end forced in the ground & crossing each other where they were fastened with a kind of tough grass – over these rafters, pieces of bark were laid in the same manner as Tiles and Shingles. Inside of the wigwam were great numbers of mussel, Sea Snail, & other shells with the remains of a kind of Lobster or cray fish. In some of the wigwams we found the bones of an animal most probably the Kangoroo & two small pieces of white hard stone very different from any about adventure Bay, and soft bark wrapped up carefully in grass – with this stone and bark the natives probably strike their fires but with these we were not able to affect it — It has been advanced that the wretched inhabitants of this country take up their abode in the trunks of trees hollowed out with fire for the purpose, but I rather imagine no such custom existed among them. It is true we met with vast numbers of burnt hollow trees, wherever we went in their tracks, as well as in the mountains, where I'm inclined to think they seldom or ever go – In some of our shooting parties, the fires we kindled against Trees exhibited the next day the same appearance as these supposed habitations nor will any thing allow one to suppose, that the most wretched Indians would prefer a hole not capable of holding more than two persons, and those not with ease, to a comparatively comfortable habitation which can be erected in a few hours – Where the Rocks will not admit of a passage along shore the Indians at a little distance in the woods have beaten a tolerable foot path all round the Bay, but I never met with a path that led into the woods above an hundred yards and indisputable proof, that as in this part of the country they only inhabit the Sea shores, and as another proof, we never met with a wigwam but near the Sea — Tho' we frequently saw fires not far distant to the Northward, we got but a slight view of any of the natives – A Party of our Gentlemen met about twenty by surprize. They They were coming towards the [Shipping?] but probably had not seen them for the [Gales?] – On being discovered they retreated with great trepidation to the woods, one only, a young man remained a few minutes behind and took some [?] that were presented him, but he soon disappeared – They left a few rude spears behind, and close where ever parties discovered them was the Skeletons of a new wigwam with two Kangoroo skins in it – Under the hopes of a visit from these people our gentlemen did not take away the skins and only a few of their weapons, but in this we were disappointed, as no more was seen of them during our stay.

Our Parties reported the natives to be of the middle size and well formed – Neither sex were quite naked; but their covering which was the skin of some Animal, instead of being where decency required, were loosely thrown over the shoulders – The Men had all their beards growing – among the party was a child at its mothers breast

The fish we took here were Elephant fish, a kind of Spanish Mackeral, small red cod, a few plaise & small & small Soles, a white bream, Catfish, Sting rays, squids, a kind of white mullet, and a brown fish like a gua[?], besides many others not known to us of a small kind – In the Lagoon numbers of bream and some small Trout. The latter fish we caught in all the little Streams round the bay – The oceanic birds were Albatrosses, Gannets in great numbers, two kinds of Gull, Shags of the common kind & another species with a white breast – about the Shores we saw Curlews, Oyster Catcher, small [?] colored plovers, a few Pelicans and [?] – In the woods three or four kinds of Parroquet, the common white Cockatoo, another large brown sort, two kinds of [?] hawks of different kinds – Kingfishers – and about a dozen different kinds of small birds, two of them of a beautiful plumage, and one resembling the Thrush in color as well as [?] – Some wild ducks and Teal were shot about the Lagoon – some of our gentlemen reported having see partridges on the wing – The Reptiles were a few black Snakes, common brown Lizards, one of an other sort about eighteen Inches in length and scaly – numbers of different [?] of [?] – no great variety of Butterflies – [yard?] flies – Some of our people saw several [?] on the Bay

We were not able to determine the opening of the Bay to the Northward of Adventure Bay (Frederic Henry) whether on the East or west side of the continent but from the rise and fall of the Tide there is no doubt but that there is an outlet to the Sea – We saw no animals but the Kangoroo and a few rats, except one of the Hedgehog species which one of the officers shot – It was about the size of a large suckling Pig with short Legs and claws more than proportionably long – about its sides and back were short quills like those of the Porcupine – The most singular thing in this animal was its having no mouth, a snout of above two inches in length which was [pervaded?] by the nostrils, appearing the only way by which it could feed.

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